Blog

Nikhi’s Journey

Nikhi’s journey began when he was born, but we did not realize that. He was a good baby. He did not cry to be picked up or to be fed. In fact, he was too easily overfed once he started solid food.

At fifteen months, he had no words at all and did not even babble much. At 18 months, the only way I could get his attention was to sing. If I sang, “If you’re happy and you know it,” he would stop his pacing with his fisher price car and look at me and grin from ear to ear.

We were in Metairie, LA at this time and Hurricane Katrina forced us to evacuate back to the Chicago area. We were able to get in to see a developmental pediatrician and a developmental neurologist and Nikhi was dxed with classic autism.

Through intensive ABA therapy, Speech therapy, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, he has made wonderful progress. Today he is 7 years old and mainstreamed in a first grade classroom. We can have conversations with him and while his language is still below his age level, it is coming along well. We are happy to say that he has had wonderful teachers and therapists along the way who have not only taught him, but loved him.